Are Dental Implants Right For You?

If you’re asking yourself if dental implants are right for you, chances are, they’re exactly what you need! As we get older, tooth decay, cracking, breaking, and receding gums start to take their toll on our teeth. Sometimes it may result in just one tooth falling out, or maybe all of your teeth. However, if that time comes, you can be sure that dental implants are your best option for getting back to living a normal and healthy life. In this blog, we’re going to talk about several ways you’ll know it’s time to get implants, as well as some of the benefits you can expect to see from taking the leap.

They’re the best alternative

If full-tooth replacement is what you’re looking for, there’s nothing better to match the feel and strength of your natural teeth than dental implants. Many elderly will live with dentures believing there are no other options out there for them. These people will often get used to living with less than satisfactory teeth that lead to trouble eating, smiling, and enjoying life the way they once had.

They’re made to last

Most dental implants are made of titanium, a material that isn’t rejected by the body and acts as a solid foundation for your implant teeth. When the implants are inserted, your natural jaw bone will hold the implant in place so that when you’re eating or moving your mouth, you’ll get no movement and will stay stable throughout your life. The crown of the tooth is made of a ceramic material that is made to look and feel like a real tooth. Although the crown is also very durable, if they were to break, they could be easily replaced without any complicated surgical procedure.

They’re worry-free!

Many people come to us at Pacific Northwest frustrated with having spent months or even years dealing with dentures or missing teeth. If you have missing teeth, you may be afraid to eat certain foods in fear that you may lose more teeth. Or maybe you’ve noticed that your teeth are starting to feel weak and brittle. This is the time to see an expert at Pacific Northwest Specialists in Periodontics and Dental Implants  When you have dental implants, that fear of losing more teeth will be gone! You’ll have a full set of durable teeth that will afford you all the flexibility and strength that you had when your teeth were in their prime. If an accident were to occur where you chipped or broke a tooth, the replacement procedure would be simple and painless.

They retain your natural smile

If you have missing teeth or you’ve been living with dentures, another thing you may be worried about is whether your smile is as bright and beautiful as it once was. Implants are designed to look exactly like natural teeth, and they won’t stain or move around.

No hassle

With dental implants, your teeth will remain in your mouth at all times unlike dentures that have to be removed at night and left in a cup to stay clean. With implants, maintaining your teeth is as simple as brushing and flossing like you would normal teeth. You can schedule regular visits to your dentist or dental implant specialist for cleaning or checkups.  

Easy to speak

Some people with dentures may experience difficulty eating or speaking due to dentures that pop out or move around. With dental implants, you’ll have no problem speaking and experience more confidence when communicating with people.

You can eat your favorite food

Have you been avoiding your favorite foods like steak, apples, or candy due to your dentures or missing teeth? Many people who attempt to eat tough or sugary foods with missing teeth will end up losing more teeth. With implants, you’ll be able to eat what you want, when you want to eat it, no questions asked!

No cavities

Possibly one of the greatest reasons to get dental implants—you’ll never have to worry about cavities ever again! Although basic cleaning procedures are required to maintain the appearance of your implants, you’ll never have to worry about experiencing pain in your teeth or complicated or costly dental procedures ever again!

They support healthy teeth

If you’re planning on getting a single-tooth replacement, you’ll be happy to hear that a dental implant will actually support the teeth surrounding it, decreasing the likelihood of having to get more implants.

Need more reasons to get dental implants? Contact Doctor Darrin Rapoport at Pacific Northwest Periodontics today. As a board-certified periodontist and diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology, he will be able to provide you with the highest quality periodontal care in the industry, right here in Seattle. Visit Pacific Northwest Periodontics to learn more about dental implant procedures.

Dental Implants and Dentures – Understanding the Two

If you’ve struggled with your teeth, or the lack thereof, for years – then there’s a pretty good chance that dental implants aren’t the first procedure that you’ve invested some time into. For many, especially those missing more than one tooth, dentures and partial dentures were the first solutions that were tried.

Now, after having dentures for so long and seeing the possibilities and capabilities that dental implants offer, it’s very common for people to ask what the options are regarding having dentures and considering dental implants. Today our blog is going to dive into some of the questions that are often asked of individuals who have had dentures for periods of time, and are interested in learning more about dental implants. Let’s dive right in!

Do you have to use one or the other?

Dentures used to be the only dental care solution for missing teeth, and then they were used as the sole solution. Now, there are so many people curious as to whether their only options include sticking with dentures or switching to dental implants but very rarely do they ask. In fact, there are very few people who even consider the possibility of using their dentures, or partial dentures, with dental implants.

The answer to this question is a yes. You can, in fact, use both full sets of dentures and partial dentures with your dental implants. This combination has the potential to be one of the best setups for certain dental circumstances.

Mostly, the way that this partnership works is that you will have the permanent implants that will go directly into the gums. Once this has been put in, you can use your full or partial dentures and just click them right into the root implants. This is a great way to enjoy more stability as well as a more natural feel with your dentures. Given that durability and a natural feel is something that most people struggle with regarding dentures, this is a fantastic option for making the most of both procedures.

Can you remove dental implants like dentures?

This is a fantastic question, especially when trying to determine if there’s one procedure that works better for you than the other. One of the primary ways that these two procedures differ is the tied directly to this question.

Dentures offer the ability to remove them when needed while dental implants are a much more permanent option. Depending on which of these are going to be a better fit for you and your goals with the procedure, it’ll be pretty easy for you to determine which of these procedures is going to be a better fit for you and your needs. If you’re not entirely sure which of the methods is going to be better for you – or if there is an option that will work better for your dental circumstances – you can always reach out to the team at Same Day Dental Implants, and we’ll help you find the answer to that question.

When you’ve become accustomed to one dental solution, the idea of changing can seem ridiculous. If you have any questions about switching from dentures to dental implants, or if you’re interested in learning more about what the capabilities are with the implants and your dentures, we will always be there to help.

Check out the rest of our blog space for additional posts that cover questions we are frequently asked. You can also schedule an appointment, and we can sit down and walk through your concerns and questions with you.

Smile Statistics Throughout the United States

As dental professionals, we see the way that a procedure can drastically change the way that someone lives their life. From the comfort factors to the aesthetic appeal, the dental implant treatment has proven to be one of the best options for individuals looking for a long-term solution. While the treatment is one that can change lives, so many people that are hesitant to commit to this procedure, and we’re not sure why.

Whether it’s the feeling that it just won’t work well or the insecurity of feeling like the only one with this issue, we think it’s important for everyone to understand just how much this treatment can benefit individuals and how many people are struggling with similar problems. We’ve seen some incredible statistics that are tied to smiles that prove how much of a difference dental implants have the opportunity to make.

Missing Teeth

Teeth can fall out for various reasons. When you visit the dentist, they’ll always provide you with dental care assistance to avoid the chances of your teeth rotting and falling out, but this isn’t the only way that teeth can fall out. While lack of dental hygiene is one of the primary reasons that teeth wind up falling out, accidents from sports or injuries are another reason that people are missing teeth.

It still goes further than these two reasons, though. A portion of the population is born with a smile that is toothless in places. Whatever the idea may be, dental implants are the answer for the spaces that you’re missing a tooth. Beyond that, we find that it’s essential for people to understand how big of an issue missing teeth is. It isn’t something that only a few people are dealing with in their lives. In fact, it’s something that a majority of the US population struggles with on a daily basis. We’ll dive into that next.

A Healthy Smile

A healthy smile will have 32 teeth, and while that is the number of teeth that a mouth should have, the average is far from it. Our national average is at 24.92 teeth. This number drops even further when you look at individuals over the age of 65. In elderly, ages 65 and over, there is an average of 18.9 healthy teeth in the mouth. These numbers solidify that a majority of our population could be benefitting from dental implants, and they aren’t even aware of how simple and life-changing the procedure can be.

Who Is a Good Candidate

If you’re wondering whether or not this is a procedure that you’d be a good candidate for, we’re here to help. As you’ve seen us mention above, the one thing that you need to have is a desire to have a smile that you love. If you are missing teeth, then this is a great way to have a natural bite and a beautiful smile. So the reality is, just about everybody is a fantastic candidate for this procedure!

Whether you’re missing one tooth or you’re missing all of your teeth, our team can help. We like to start with a consultation so that we can review the process with you and determine what will need to be done based off of your dental needs. Our goal, first and foremost, is to ensure that you’re comfortable and fully aware of what the procedure is going to look like moving forward.

Pacific Northwest Specialists in Periodontics and Dental Implants are ready to meet with you! Reach out to us today and schedule your initial consultation, or check out our blog post for more information on the procedure, the benefits and the functionality of dental implants.

Struggles With Dentures & Partials

Teeth are one of the first things that people notice about a person. Unfortunately, not every individual was born with perfect teeth or their ideal smile. In fact, very few people actually have the smile that they’d like to have. At times people simply don’t fully develop all of their teeth, while other times accidents can happen that leave their smiles looking like less full. Luckily there are a few solutions that can help you feel confident about your smile and provide you with the same functionalities as your natural teeth would.

For ages, there were only a few options that people could turn to when they wanted to alter their smile. Even fewer options were around when it came to dental solutions that would help your smile if you had missing teeth. What we have a hard time wrapping our mind around is that people are still using these original procedures when there have been so much growth and development improving the results and look of smiles over the years.

PNW Specialists in Periodontics and Dental Implants has provided the Seattle area with high-quality services to help individuals that are looking to improve their smile, get to their end goal. Today’s blog post is going to cover two of the solutions that have been around for years, that we still see many people using, but what we’re really going to look at is the downfalls of each procedure and why dental implants are going to be a better option for the results that you want.

Dentures

The one solution that has been around for decades, and for the longest time was the only option available when trying to make up for missing teeth, are your well-known dentures. While dentures may have a reputation of being tied to elderly individuals, that’s not at all what the demographics of dentures look like.

Dentures are designed so that they can fit on just the top of your mouth, just on the bottom, or a full set, all based off your needs. Since they were the only option for so many people that were losing teeth, the primary people that are seen using them are the older generations. However, there are so many people that utilize these on a daily basis. The thing is that while they were the primary option for quite some time, they certainly aren’t the best option that’s available for people now.

The main problem that we come across with this type of solution is that dentures don’t feel like your natural teeth in the slightest. As a whole, they can feel awkward while in your mouth because they aren’t extremely attached to anything. What ends up happening with this is that as you chew or you start to talk, the movement itself can feel extremely unnatural. Most people that choose this dental solution are choosing it because they aren’t entirely aware that there are other options that are better.

Partials

Partials are one of the newer solutions that we are seeing used more and more frequently. These are a newer solution than dentures and they are certainly different in terms of their structure and overall look, but the idea is pretty similar.

This is a solution that works to take things one step further with the aesthetic and functionality of your teeth. Partials are very similar to dentures, but they can fit a little bit tighter and will only fill the areas that you have teeth missing. Unfortunately, this solution may look better but it doesn’t provide much more in terms of comfort or in functionality.

As a whole, both of these older solutions simply don’t fit the mouth and they just don’t feel natural. While they were enough of a solution for people to turn to them, they aren’t the best option available anymore. Rather than settle for something that the only sort of works, you could invest in full dental implants and enjoy a much more natural feel.

One of the primary reasons that dental implants are so much better than these two solutions that we’ve just covered is the ability to tackle the bone loss struggle that is inevitable. As the mouth reshapes and loses more bone, dentures, and partials are much less likely to stay in place or work as well as they once did. From this comes a bunch of frustration and struggle, which makes the end results of dental implants even more worth it.

As a whole, these two solutions will take care of your bare minimum, but they won’t provide you with a comfortable lifestyle or full functionality. The last thing that you want is to live your life without full ability to enjoy a meal or feel confident, and that’s where our team wants to come in and provide a truly life-changing solution.

If you’ve been using an outdated solution to accommodate missing teeth, then it’s time to reach out to our team and talk some more about what the dental implant process looks like. We can sit down with you and provide you with an idea of what solutions are going to make great options with your circumstances. Contact us today so that we can get started on the journey to your favorite smile.

Advantages of Dental Implants

Dental implants have many advantages over all other tooth replacement options.

First, dental implants are the strongest and most lifelike form of tooth replacement. A tooth supported by a dental implant has nearly the same biting and chewing power as a natural, healthy tooth. Thus you can eat all the foods you need and want without discomfort or difficulty.

Dental implants also provide the chewing pressure that your jawbone needs to maintain its volume and density. Where teeth are missing, bone loss occurs and the jawline sinks. When all your teeth are missing, the entire jaw line loses height and the lower third of your face eventually collapses.

Wearing dentures does not provide the type of pressure needed to maintain jawbone volume and height. In fact, the pressure on the jaw from dentures accelerates the bone loss and facial collapse. This not only makes you look much older, it causes the denture to repeatedly become loose and need refitting.

A full arch set of replacement teeth solidly fixed onto dental implants will provide this pressure and will help prevent this bone loss. It will preserve the size and shape of your jaw while at the same time giving you near full chewing power. Additionally, the upper arch of replacement teeth will not have the false palate that traditional dentures require, and your sense of taste will not be hampered.

Another advantage of dental implants is that no grinding down of the adjacent teeth is needed to replace a missing tooth – as is necessary for a dental bridge. Ground down teeth become weakened and can develop infection or other complications over time.

Dental bridges also have a 10 year average lifespan, whereas dental implants… given proper care… can last a lifetime.

What is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is a small titanium post that is placed in the jawbone to act as a replacement root for a missing tooth.

After the implant is placed, the bone cells surrounding the inserted implant grow, and eventually fuse to the implant surfaces. This anchors the implant firmly in the jaw and makes the implant as strong as a natural tooth root.

Implants are placed to support new replacement teeth, also known as dental restorations. However, the restoration cannot be placed on the top of the implant directly. A second piece, known as an abutment, is secured on top of the implant to act as the attachment point for the new teeth.

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Dental Implants: The Solution for Missing Teeth

When you have a missing or broken down tooth, there are several ways you can replace it. The best way to replace a tooth is to use a dental implant, as it is the most natural acting and longest lasting tooth replacement option.

The dental implant is an artificial tooth root made of titanium that is placed into your jaw. A crown is then placed on top of the implant, which will now act as your replacement tooth. Dental implants are the strongest, longest-lasting and most lifelike replacement option for missing teeth.

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The Benefits of Dental Implants

 

  • Dental Implants are the strongest and longest lasting tooth replacement solution.
  • They look and feel like natural teeth. Most people don’t even notice the difference between their dental implants and their other teeth.
  • A tooth supported by a dental implant has nearly the same biting and chewing power as a natural, healthy tooth. This means you can eat all the foods you want without discomfort or difficulty.
  • Dental Implants don’t require you to alter your other teeth. Other tooth replacement options, like dental bridges, require you to grind down adjacent teeth. These teeth are not as strong or healthy after having been ground down. Continue reading “The Benefits of Dental Implants” →

Maintenance of Dental Implants

Your dentist will provide you with specific instructions after your dental implant procedure to help you care for your new implants. With proper care, they should last you a lifetime. Although dental implants mimic natural teeth, there are some important differences. First, they are made from man-made materials and secondly, dental implants are attached to the surrounding tissue in different ways. The implant itself is made up of an artificial root and joins to the crown by something known as an abutment.
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